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Slasher
Slashers are the most common form of Necromorphs encountered in the Dead Space Universe. They are created from corpses deemed suitable for combat by Infectors and spores released by the Corruption. While relatively weak when alone , Slashers pose a great threat when in groups. Under the control of the Hive Mind, slashers are deadly foes that will brutally kill any non-infected creature in sight. Description A Slasher is not a natural organism, but rather a mutated host infected by Infectors or spores released by the Corruption. Successful creation of a Slasher requires a somewhat intact corpse and an infection medium to infect the host. During the infection process, the host's physical attributes undergo radical changes to suit the needs of the Slasher, such as the development of elongated arms, biological blades, and other appendages. Combat behavior Slashers are easily recognized by their distinctive appearance and their loping and flailing gait when running. A typical Slasher, when it notices its prey, unleashes a howl and charges with its blades making slashing movements in the air. They engage in close combat by using the blades attached in various configurations to a set of distended arms that protrude at an angle from each shoulder. When their prey is close, a Slasher can use its limbs to draw in its foe and attempt to sever the jugular vein with its teeth. The Slasher is capable of limited locomotion even with their legs missing, dragging itself along with its remaining limbs. The Female Slasher, one of many types of Slasher forms, has a unique form of attack which involves spitting a sphere composed of a caustic fluid at a distant foe. Though they tend to roam and hunt in packs, Slashers can also be efficient while they are alone. Some Slashers ambush their prey using the ventilation shafts located throughout the facility. Others feign death until their victims come close enough to be dispatched. Types of Slashers Male One of the most common types of Necromorphs encountered, they brandish their blades and charge towards their victims en masses as their primary means of inflicting casualties. The nature of the victim determines, to a degree, the appearance of this particular Necromorph. The weakest and most common male Slashers are created from the corpses of civilians. Their limbs are spindly and easily dismembered, though they are one of the faster Slasher variants, third only to Enhanced Slashers and Twitchers in their charge speed. Slashers that were formerly engineering personnel can be seen wearing the remains of their overalls. They have a slower charge but are slightly more resilient to damage. In contrast to this, Slashers made out of hydroponic workers have limbs that are easier to remove, but require more dismemberment than other Slashers. Security personnel that have fallen prey to Necromorph infection have the remains of an armored uniform covering their legs, making them very resilient to any leg dismemberment. This, combined with their tendency to charge early, makes these variants especially dangerous. In Dead Space 2, there are many variants of Male Slashers, depending on Isaac's current location. In the first level, the only Slashers seen are patients and staff, which are extremely brittle and easily dismembered by the basic Plasma Cutter. In Engineering related areas, Slashers will occasionally wear Engineering RIGs like Isaac's, which gives them a noticeable increase in durability but limits their movement speed. Others may wear only the bottom part of the suit, making their legs noticeably more difficult to remove, and making their arms a more attractive target. Sprawl Security members are also rarely seen as Slashers, but compared to Engineering Slashers they are merely average, their armor doing little to protect against dismemberment, but they are far more likely to charge, and deal more damage with their swings (the first one encountered shortly after acquiring a Stasis Module can and will kill Isaac in one hit even on lower difficulties). The standard Naked Varient from Dead Space appears to be less common. Female In contrast to the Male Slasher, Females only possess a single set of arms and their blades are always located on the palms of each hand. They also maintain the green uniform of their female hosts, as well as the general shape of their breasts. This gives them a slightly more distinctive, human-like appearance, and makes it easier to differentiate these variants from others. The blades of the Female Slasher are also slightly larger than those of the male. Females also have a distinct higher pitched roar than their male counterparts. Female Slashers are not as prone to charge as the other variants, as they possess the ability to spit, at range, miniature organic bombs that explode on contact. In Dead Space 2, Females can appear clothed or naked, with little if any difference in durability, though naked Slashers are seemingly more prone to charging. Their faces are somewhat similar to Nicole's, possibly hinting that she is one of them. Enhanced Enhanced Slashers are created when an Infector injects a corpse with the Necromorph contagion. They are physically similar to the Male Slasher, though they are darker in appearance and possess glowing eyes. Their bodies are almost crawling with maggots. Enhanced Slashers are stronger, faster and more aggressive than their common counterparts. Their melee capabilities combined with sudden bursts of speed makes these Slashers formidable opponents when they catch their victims up close and in numbers. The first Enhanced Slasher Isaac encounters is in Chapter 2: Intensive Care at the Morgue, which also happens to be what was formerly the corpse of the Ishimura's Captain, Benjamin Matthius. The flamethrower seems decently effective against them, but stay back; they can deal some serious damage, even on the Easy difficulty, easily taking out half of Isaac's health in a short flurry of attacks. In Dead Space 2, Enhanced Slashers appear much more mutated, with mottled green and brown on their forms, distinguishing them further from regular Slashers. Their Blades and arms are noticeably larger and their eyes glowing red. They are much more bulky and formidable than the previously encountered Enhanced Slashers. While at first only one or two will appear in combat situations, near the end of the game they will become the most common enemy Isaac encounters. Unlike regular Slashers which are at times random, Enhanced variants will almost always launch into a charge once they have a clear way towards Isaac. Monk Otherwise referred to as the Zealot Slasher, these Slasher variants are the result of infected Unitologist clergy.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BM4m1lu0RM Youtube: Dead Space 2 Demo - IGN Live E3 2010 ''][http://deadspace.ea.com/#flash/mediaid=beat2flvbestiary-20100611034929392 '''Dead Space 2': Necromorph Bestiarum] Considered as a unique variant of the Slasher form, the Monk Slasher can be identified by their Unitology robes and horribly disfigured face. While combat behaviour is similar like all other Slasher variants, what makes the Monk different from the rest is its increased tolerance against dismemberment and heightened durability, meaning it is best to take out their shoulders which should kill them easily. This variant of Slasher also has a tendency to charge Isaac as soon as it has a clear path to him. Twitcher These Slasher variants are created only from the corpses of Marines stationed aboard the USM Valor. Unlike other Necromorphs, Twitchers can survive without their arms. Twitchers are made unique by what their host body is; a trained marine equipped with a stasis module. As a result, these "Twitcher" variants are physically powerful and incredibly fast, moving in a rapid, jarring manner. This type of Necromorph is only seen in Dead Space 1. Hunter The Hunter is a unique Necromorph that was biologically engineered by Doctor Challus Mercer aboard Ishimura. It is larger and more powerful than the other Slasher variants and is able to regenerate lost limbs in mere seconds, making it an extreme threat. Ubermorph For more information, see Ubermorph '' It is unknown the origin of Ubermorph, but it is speculated that it is the true, complete and purest form of the slasher/splitter. Formed possibly only during Convergence (Full activation of the marker). Possibly even the actual form of the aliens that created the original Black Marker (The Black One); explaining the similarity to slashers as the human body is reconfigured to become one of these aliens. After Isaac completed Step 3 and "stuck the needle in his eye" he encountered this slasher-like Necromorph. Strategy Slashers seem to be the bread and butter enemy in Dead Space. Players can deal with them in several ways such as chop their legs off or dismember their arms. Against two or more of them you can consider using a crowd control weapon like a Line gun when you clump them together. Dead Space and Dead Space 2 Slashers have a wide variety of responses depending on which body parts are severed. *A Slasher dies immediately after losing both arms. *When a leg is severed, the Slasher's mobility is severely hindered, making it an easier target. However, it is also easier to lose track of it amidst obstacles and corpses. *Decapitation does not kill the Slasher. If standing, then the Slasher will walk slowly in your direction while swinging its blades randomly, but its behavior may return to normal in a few seconds. If crawling, it will not be affected unless the damage was enough to kill it. Female slashers cannot use their projectile attack upon decapitation, but simply killing the Slasher before it can do this is more practical. *The Slasher sometimes feigns death after being dismembered, and will attack when you turn your back, get near it, or damage it. If a Slasher feigns death and you have the Kinesis module, then you should have time to find a sharp object (e.g. a severed Slasher blade) with which to kill it in order to conserve ammo. *Some Slashers, instead of charging straight towards you, will instead leap into a nearby vent (where they aren't exposed to danger), travel to a vent closer to you and burst out of it. Be wary of the location of vents in a room with multiple Slashers; stay away from them and listen for persistent bumping sounds in the ventilation system. Dead Space 2 *In ''Dead Space 2, players are able to use their Kinesis module to grab the Slashers' arm blades and use them as an offensive tool. A successful hit against an enemy ensures high damage, and on lower difficulties, an instant kill. *Enhanced Slashers in Dead Space 2 are extremely fast, making a combination of Stasis and leg dismemberment preferable. However, they are also susceptible to being stunned and stopped in their tracks by even light fire from a Pulse Rifle , which can stall their charge, as well as those behind them. *Standard Infectors only create standard Slasher variants in Dead Space 2. Considering regular human corpses are less likely to carry loot, a player can risk allowing an Infector to convert them in hopes of scoring more ammunition or credits. The process also takes a relatively longer period of time, giving ample time to cut down the Slashers as they are created. However, enhanced Infectors always create enhanced Slashers, which are more dangerous and generally less rewarding. Unless ammo is extremely low, it is still recommended that Infectors are killed on sight. Dead Space: Extraction Slashers generally behave the same in Extraction. The same general rules apply to killing them as in Dead Space. However, there are some notable facts that are worth knowing: *Cutting off both arms is still an instant-kill. *Cutting off one or both legs will cause it to crawl at you. However, they now tend to require both arms to be shot off while crawling, instead of the original game, where they usually died after having just one blown off. *Melee is even less effective now. The unlimited ammo of the Rivet Gun is much more useful. Death Scenes thumb|300px|right *The Slasher grabs Isaac with its limbs and latches onto his neck with its jaws. If the action sequence is succeeded, Isaac will push the Slasher away and punch its head off with his weapon. This is not a guaranteed kill unless the Slasher is heavily damaged. Should the action sequence fail, the Slasher decapitates Isaac and throws his corpse to the ground before proceeding to gnaw at his headless body. *If Isaac runs out of health when hit by a slasher's scythes, whatever part of him is hit will be dismembered and he will be killed instantly. *If Isaac is fatally hit by a Female Slasher's projectile, he will usually be blown in half, as well as losing other limbs. *The Zealot Slasher grabs Isaac and begins to stab him in the shoulder. If the action sequence is failed it stabs him in the throat and leaves him to die from blood loss, leaving his body intact. If the action sequence is succeeded, Isaac rips off one of the Zealot's scythes and stabs it in it's side. Trivia *In the animated movie Dead Space: Downfall, the creation of male Slashers is the same in comparison to their creation in the game. However, in the movie, the Infectors never seem to produce enhanced slashers, only normal civilian slashers. Male Slashers in the movie have the blades burst directly out of the palms of their hands while a new pair of grabbing claws burst out from the abdomen. Some of the male Slashers in the game have the blades coming out of their palms like the movie depicts them, yet the movie does not show other variants of standard slashers created, that simply have their hand and arm tissue fuse into the blade; like engineer, security, or enhanced slashers. *The theory as to why infectors create advanced slashers in Dead Space is because it may take multiple earlier infections before the infector is able to create them and you encounter them after they've had time to infect many others beforehand; it is also a gameplay mechanic to instill a sense of urgency to a fight. *The Necromorph infection is a mutating viral form of alien life and as such not all slashers or necromorphs will be the same, they will only resemble the base form. *Slashers have been observed to sometimes twitch and flail when Isaac is in the area. This feature has also been seen in Twitchers, only in an extreme form of movement. *Slashers, as with all the Necromorphs, are able to survive in a vacuum, as seen in Chapter 2. Being made of reanimated flesh, they have no need for oxygen, and can survive the freezing temperatures, although there are several cryogenically frozen Necromorophs in the Ishimura's Cryo Bay, and Isaac can freeze the Hunter. *It should be interesting to note that the Zealot variant of Slashers original arms are left almost unaltred- but lie frozen in shape of the Unitologist prayer position, which is wrists crossed, fingers extended back towards one another. The symbol of the Marker. Whether or not they're bonded in place, somehow retained a semblance of conciousness like the Guardian or just simple Rigor Mortis is unknown. *In the Multiplayer portion of Dead Space 2, Slashers can be seen walking around and attacking Human players. Because the only playable characters on the Necromorph team are the Spitter, Lurker, The Pack, and the Puker, the Slashers are A.I. controlled and assist the Necromorph side. They act the same way as they do in Single player. *Interesting to note, only one Slasher appears in the Feature Film Dead Space: Aftermath, where Noland Stross places a Marker fragment next to a Corpse, causing it to mutate into a Slasher. The Slasher's place, as the most Common Necromorph, is taken by Long Armed, thin Unnamed Necromorphs. Gallery File:Slasher concept.jpg|Early concept of the Slasher. File:Slasher01.jpg|Early concept of the Slasher. File:Dead Space Ripper.jpg|Artwork depicting Isaac defending himself against a group of Slashers with a Ripper. File:Surrounded.jpg|Artwork depicting Isaac surrounded by a group of Slashers. File:Playing dead.jpg|An example of a Slasher feigning its "death". File:Dslasher.png|A Slasher with remnants of the P.C.S.I SEC RIG in Dead Space: Downfall. File:Ignition - Slashers.jpg|Slashers as seen in Dead Space: Ignition. File:concept uni slasher.jpg|Concept art of a Zealot-variant Slasher. File:Uni_Slasher.jpg|A Zealot-variant Slasher approaches Isaac from behind. File:DS2 - Slasher Variants.jpg|Concept art of Slasher variants in Dead Space 2. File:ds2enhancedslasher.jpg|An Enhanced Slasher in "Dead Space 2". Appearances *''Dead Space'' *''Dead Space (Comics)'' *''Dead Space: Downfall'' *''Dead Space: Extraction'' *''Dead Space: Extraction (Comics)'' *''Dead Space: Ignition'' *''Dead Space 2'' Sources